Help identifying old kiln

I just bought this old kiln. The guy I bought it from said it came from a school so I'm sure it's been well used. It has the following problems.

1. The two heating elements in the center are different than the others (the coil has wider spacing) and are the only two that work. The others are dead.
2. The metal sheath around the top of the kiln is loose. One of the attached pics shows the gap between the outer sheath and the fire brick.
3. The top fire brick next to the red control box is broken and loose.
4. The kiln sitter switch is bad (it does not turn the kiln off when the cone rod falls).
5. The cone supports for the kiln sitter are missing.

The inside dimensions are 23 3/4 inches in diameter and 27 inches tall.

Questions:
1. What are the proper elements for this kiln? One pic shows some parts that came with it (including a couple elements) but one says 208 volts (for a 3-phase kiln), the others say 240 volts.
2. Where can I get fire brick to replace the broken ones?
3. How can I tighten the top outer sheath? There are no tightening straps that I can see (unless they're under the red control box).
4. Where can I get parts to fix the kiln sitter (at least the switch and cone supports)?
5. Anything else I missed?

I know there's lots wrong with this kiln but the price was okay. Other than a few fire bricks at the top, most of them seem to be in pretty good shape considering everything else that's wrong with it. The lid is in pretty good shape too. Judging from pics I've seen on Ebay I would guess it's an old Knight kiln.

The cone supports are in a picture on the floor of the kiln. I saw both of them. I was going to say you should pick them up so they don't get lost. Picture 2 bottom left.
Put a coat of kiln wash on them after you insert them in the slots.
I think it looks pretty good for a used kiln. The lid isn't cracked. Clean out all of the glaze globs on the floor with a chisel and fill with brick chunks or kiln cement. Then wash it with kiln wash. Keep the floor clean. Figure out what switch needs to be replaced and call suppliers with the model number on the switch.

There should be a metallic "plate" attached to the side or back of the kiln, with all of the necessary info to get replacement parts -- serial number, model number, 1P/3P, wattage/voltage, etc. Has that gone missing?

You said to put kiln wash over the cone supports and all of the brick/kiln cement in the kiln? Is that what I need to do to an old but never used kiln I've acquired? I know it needs to go on the shelves but didn't know the entire kiln should be covered. Is this something I should do on a regular basis? Thanks for your help!

You said to put kiln wash over the cone supports and all of the brick/kiln cement in the kiln? Is that what I need to do to an old but never used kiln I've acquired? I know it needs to go on the shelves but didn't know the entire kiln should be covered. Is this something I should do on a regular basis? Thanks for your help!

Sharon

put kiln wash on the tips ot the cone support so it doesn't stick. Also put kiln wask on the floor od the kiln to protect it from caustic glazes that can eat holes in bricks every time they get hot in repeated firings. That is why you need to remove those glaze globs on the floor of your kiln. If those are glaze drips you have a used kiln. If not I would still try to remove them.Also clean out all the brick crumbs in the element grooves. It is full of them. I use a vacuum cleaner, my shop vac with the small slot attachment. Good maintenance is good for the kiln. If there are any melted glaze drips in the grooves, gently move the element and dig out the glob completely. Better to have a clean hole than a brick eating glob of glaze.

i'm not convinced it's a Skutt. The peephole covers, switches and the vented metal at the top of the control box lead me to believe it's an Evenheat. Send the photos to Skutt and see if it's theirs.

Good call. I sent the pictures to Skutt tech support and they identified it as an old Evenheat kiln. So now off to Evenheat to find out the model number and availability of parts.

YES! Evenheat kilns are not as common, so often people see the red box and assume it's a Skutt. As far as I know, Evenheat are the only ones who used the metal flap covers for the peepholes. And Skutt boxes have louvers for venting, not perforated metal.

You said to put kiln wash over the cone supports and all of the brick/kiln cement in the kiln? Is that what I need to do to an old but never used kiln I've acquired? I know it needs to go on the shelves but didn't know the entire kiln should be covered. Is this something I should do on a regular basis? Thanks for your help!

I just bought this old kiln. The guy I bought it from said it came from a school so I'm sure it's been well used. It has the following problems.

1. The two heating elements in the center are different than the others (the coil has wider spacing) and are the only two that work. The others are dead.2. The metal sheath around the top of the kiln is loose. One of the attached pics shows the gap between the outer sheath and the fire brick.3. The top fire brick next to the red control box is broken and loose.4. The kiln sitter switch is bad (it does not turn the kiln off when the cone rod falls).5. The cone supports for the kiln sitter are missing.

The inside dimensions are 23 3/4 inches in diameter and 27 inches tall.

Questions:1. What are the proper elements for this kiln? One pic shows some parts that came with it (including a couple elements) but one says 208 volts (for a 3-phase kiln), the others say 240 volts.2. Where can I get fire brick to replace the broken ones?3. How can I tighten the top outer sheath? There are no tightening straps that I can see (unless they're under the red control box).4. Where can I get parts to fix the kiln sitter (at least the switch and cone supports)?5. Anything else I missed?

I know there's lots wrong with this kiln but the price was okay. Other than a few fire bricks at the top, most of them seem to be in pretty good shape considering everything else that's wrong with it. The lid is in pretty good shape too. Judging from pics I've seen on Ebay I would guess it's an old Knight kiln.

Thats the skutt I use every day but a little bigger. Its a good kiln...new it was $4,000...hope skutt helps you figure it out.

It's not a Skutt. The tech at Skutt was prompt to reply that it was an Evenheat. I got a response from someone at Evenheat to send pics of the kiln. I did but still no response. The Skutt tech gave me a phone number for Evenheat, which is somewhere in Michigan. If I don't get a response from them in a couple more days I'll give them a call. If no help there I'll start looking around elsewhere. Or maybe just convert it to a Skutt LOL. Or even convert it to a tandoor. My wife has always wanted one but they're crazy expensive to import from India.

you should be able to convert that control box to digital no problem if that's what you want to do. most all manufacturers use the same Bartlett controller, so it doesn't really matter which vendor you get it from, Skutt or otherwise. kiln sitters are the same way - universal between brands since they all use the same guts for the most part.

what i would do if it were me, and i were serious about getting it running as a kiln - i would just buy a new control box (most likely a digital controller, or sitter w/backup timer) and new elements to match -- this way you do a full conversion and don't have to worry about what original voltage/phase it was before. bricks run around $7-10/ea, and you should be able to find them easily since many brand of kilns, have the exact same design/dimensions/layout, or you can cut them yourself from a whole soft brick. as for tightening the metal jacket, this might be the toughest repair on an old kiln. if it doesn't have the adjusters then you're SOL. if it does have the adjusters, there is the possibility they are useless due to age/corrosion/fatigue, making them useless anyways. you could buy a jacket for a kiln but it's probably going to be at least $100. unfortunately the top one is the most important since the lid hinges off of it